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Home / Equine Research Bank / Acta Vet Scand / Reliability of an injury scoring system for horses.
Acta veterinaria Scandinavica2010; 52(1); 68; doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-52-68

Reliability of an injury scoring system for horses.

Abstract: The risk of injuries is of major concern when keeping horses in groups and there is a need for a system to record external injuries in a standardised and simple way. The objective of this study, therefore, was to develop and validate a system for injury recording in horses and to test its reliability and feasibility under field conditions. Methods: Injuries were classified into five categories according to severity. The scoring system was tested for intra- and inter-observer agreement as well as agreement with a 'golden standard' (diagnosis established by a veterinarian). The scoring was done by 43 agricultural students who classified 40 photographs presented to them twice in a random order, 10 days apart. Attribute agreement analysis was performed using Kendall's coefficient of concordance (Kendall's W), Kendall's correlation coefficient (Kendall's τ) and Fleiss' kappa. The system was also tested on a sample of 100 horses kept in groups where injury location was recorded as well. Results: Intra-observer agreement showed Kendall's W ranging from 0.94 to 0.99 and 86% of observers had kappa values above 0.66 (substantial agreement). Inter-observer agreement had an overall Kendall's W of 0.91 and the mean kappa value was 0.59 (moderate). Agreement for all observers versus the 'golden standard' had Kendall's τ of 0.88 and the mean kappa value was 0.66 (substantial). The system was easy to use for trained persons under field conditions. Injuries of the more serious categories were not found in the field trial. Conclusions: The proposed injury scoring system is easy to learn and use also for people without a veterinary education, it shows high reliability, and it is clinically useful. The injury scoring system could be a valuable tool in future clinical and epidemiological studies.
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Publication Date: 2010-12-31 PubMed ID: 21194451PubMed Central: PMC3023730DOI: 10.1186/1751-0147-52-68Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article primarily focuses on developing and validating a standardized system for recording horse injuries to help manage risks faced by these animals when housed in groups. This newly developed system underwent various tests for reliability and feasibility in real-world conditions.

Research Methods

  • The injuries were categorized into five different levels based on their severity.
  • 43 agricultural students tested the scoring system’s intra- and inter-observer agreement, as well as its alignment with a “golden standard” diagnosis made by a professional veterinarian.
  • The students classified 40 photographs of the injuries, presented randomly twice with 10 days interval in between.
  • The scoring system was tested on a sample of 100 horses living in groups, along with the recording of the location of the injuries.
  • The attribute agreement analysis was done using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (Kendall’s W), Kendall’s correlation coefficient (Kendall’s τ), and Fleiss’ kappa.

Research Results

  • The intra-observer agreement had a Kendall’s W range between 0.94 and 0.99, and 86% of observers showed kappa values above 0.66, implying a substantial degree of agreement.
  • The inter-observer agreement showcased an overall Kendall’s W of 0.91, and the mean kappa value stood at 0.59, indicating a moderate level of agreement.
  • Agreement between all observers and the defined ‘golden standard’ ranged at a Kendall’s τ of 0.88, with a mean kappa value of 0.66, which suggests substantial agreement.
  • The system was found to be user-friendly for trained individuals in field conditions.
  • In the field trial, no injuries belonging to the more serious categories were discovered.

Research Conclusions

  • The proposed injury scoring system is simple to learn and can be operated by non-veterinarians, demonstrating high reliability and practical usefulness.
  • The system has the potential to serve as a beneficial tool in future clinical and epidemiology research involving horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Mejdell CM, Jørgensen GH, Rehn T, Fremstad K, Keeling L, Bøe KE. (2010). Reliability of an injury scoring system for horses. Acta Vet Scand, 52(1), 68. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-52-68

Publication

Acta veterinaria Scandinavica
ISSN: 1751-0147
NlmUniqueID: 0370400
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 52
Issue: 1
Pages: 68

Researcher Affiliations

Mejdell, Cecilie M
  • Section for Domestic Animal Health and Welfare, National Veterinary Institute, Sentrum, Oslo, Norway. cecilie.mejdell@vetinst.no
Jørgensen, Grete H M
    Rehn, Therese
      Fremstad, Kjersti
        Keeling, Linda
          Bøe, Knut E

            MeSH Terms

            • Animals
            • Horse Diseases / classification
            • Horses / injuries
            • Observer Variation
            • Research Design
            • Wounds and Injuries / classification
            • Wounds and Injuries / veterinary

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            Citations

            This article has been cited 6 times.
            1. Zollinger A, Wyss C, Bardou D, Bachmann I. Social Box: A New Housing System Increases Social Interactions among Stallions. Animals (Basel) 2023 Apr 20;13(8).
              doi: 10.3390/ani13081408pubmed: 37106974google scholar: lookup
            2. Hildebrandt F, Büttner K, Salau J, Krieter J, Czycholl I. Area and Resource Utilization of Group-Housed Horses in an Active Stable. Animals (Basel) 2021 Sep 23;11(10).
              doi: 10.3390/ani11102777pubmed: 34679799google scholar: lookup
            3. Pfeiffenberger M, Bartsch J, Hoff P, Ponomarev I, Barnewitz D, Thöne-Reineke C, Buttgereit F, Gaber T, Lang A. Hypoxia and mesenchymal stromal cells as key drivers of initial fracture healing in an equine in vitro fracture hematoma model. PLoS One 2019;14(4):e0214276.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214276pubmed: 30947253google scholar: lookup
            4. Akwar H, Kloeze H, Mukhi S. Development and Validation of a Standardized Tool for Prioritization of Information Sources. Online J Public Health Inform 2016;8(2):e187.
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            5. Pedersen KS, Strunz AM. Evaluation of farmers' diagnostic performance for detection of diarrhoea in nursery pigs using digital pictures of faecal pools. Acta Vet Scand 2013 Oct 18;55(1):72.
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